Moon of Alabama Brecht quote
November 27, 2014
Rep. Rob Wittman (R-Va.): “Syrian, Iraqi Soldiers Are Klingons”

The Hill reports: US in talks over Arab boots on the ground

The U.S. and allies are discussing the possibility of deploying ground forces from Arab nations to combat the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), according to a top Republican lawmaker on the House Armed Services Committee.

"At the current time there are no Arab-country forces on the ground in either Iraq or Syria. There are discussions on how to do that but right now it's the Kurds or the Peshmerga that are fighting," said Rep. Rob Wittman (R-Va.) in an interview Tuesday with The Hill.

Wittman said military commanders told him the air campaign is indeed degrading ISIS's capability but that there is a need for more boots on the ground, though not necessarily U.S. forces.

Wittman wants to deploy Jordanian soldiers in Iraq and Syria. He apparently believes that Jordan is an Arab country while Iraq and Syria are, in his mind, not Arab countries. In his view Iraqi and Syrian troops, who have been fighting the Islamic State and other Jihadists daily for several years now, do not wear "Arab boots". He likely believes that those soldiers are Klingons or some other alien form of life.

Who elects such idiots?

Comments

The war profiteers elected him … he’s from Virginia, for goodness sakes.
Rob Wittman

Wittman supports cutting pay and benefits for service members in order to avoid closing bases or decreasing infrastructure.

Top 3 Industries contributing to Campaign Cmte and Leadership PAC

Industry ↓ Total ↓ Indivs ↓ PACs ↓
Misc Defense $97,800 $28,300 $69,500
Defense Aerospace $84,800 $2,800 $82,000
Defense Electronics $82,500 $3,000 $79,500

Keep the procurement going and literally stiff the cannon fodder. The working stiffs who still ‘knock down the big bucks’ all work for the war profiteers, or the NSA/Google stasi. Don’t know anyone in the ‘all volunteer’ army. And don’t want to either. Look at the smarmy, smug smile on this guy’s face at wikipedia. Makes you want to puke.

Posted by: john francis lee | Nov 27 2014 14:07 utc | 1

May be Wittman should read about what is really happening inside Jordan?
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/nov/27/-sp-courts-jordan-crush-support-isis
I doubt the Jordanian military and Abdullah would want to see Jordanian boots in Iraq let alone Syria.

Posted by: Yul | Nov 27 2014 14:39 utc | 2

Oops! There’s a typo in the headline, b. It should read…
Rep. Rob Wittman (R-Tel Aviv): “Syrian, Iraqi Soldiers Are Klingons”

Posted by: Hoarsewhisperer | Nov 27 2014 14:46 utc | 3

@ b : “Who elects such idiots?”
Idiot, uninformed Americans, of which there are millions, and growing.

Posted by: ben | Nov 27 2014 15:11 utc | 4

The KRG has a strong lobbying office in Washington, no doubt supported by AIPAC. That’s why Wittmann has never heard of anyone else. You can’t expect Representatives to know what happens outside the United States frontiers.

Posted by: Laguerre | Nov 27 2014 16:14 utc | 5

Speaking about arabs, why are they refusing to reduce the oil producing?
http://rt.com/business/209507-opec-oil-production-cut/
Are they..stupid?

Posted by: Anonymous | Nov 27 2014 16:21 utc | 6

Posted by: john francis lee | Nov 27, 2014 9:07:03 AM | 1
Thanks

Posted by: jo6pac | Nov 27 2014 16:37 utc | 7

@6 It all depends on the Saudis. They are the only producers who could make a difference to supply. They can still make money at low prices so there is no incentive to cut. Much is made of the effect of low oil price on Russia. But it is hurting the US oil companies too….it could mean the end of fracking.

Posted by: dh | Nov 27 2014 17:03 utc | 8

b quote “Who elects such idiots?” aipac?

Posted by: james | Nov 27 2014 17:31 utc | 9

So, Rep. Wittman, care to comment on who play the part of the Ferengi?

Posted by: Jonathan | Nov 27 2014 19:02 utc | 10

@ anon @ 6
They are being arm twisted (or perhaps “twitted” would be more appropriate) by the state dept. goons and white house hacks. The whole game is to bend Russia to their might awe. The prevailing happy talk mythology in the US is that “we” “won” the cold war by getting OPEC to cut production and by simultaneously ramping up military spending, especially “star wars” According to the legend the Soviets couldn’t keep up while their only source of hard foreign currency oil, was devalued. They think that this will bring down Russia if they do it “again”. The problem for them is, it never happened. The Cold war was not “won” by the U.S. the Russian people got tired of it. There other serious flaws with this idiot scheme as well. As has been pointed out, the glut of oil is tearing the ground out from under the U.S. “sale oil boom”. Only high prices made fracking feasible. Keeping them artificially low is a staggeringly self destructive policy. The other thing is, Russia is a capitalist country now with its own MIC that’s quite enthusiastic about the prospects of an arms race with the U.S. As for that military spending, the U.S. CANT, FOR INSTANCE, EVEN BUILD ITS OWN ROCKET ENGINES ANYMORE. It as to buy them from Russia. Russian aerospace and military technology has surpassed the U.S..I for one hope they keep oil prices low just long enough to completely and irrevocably kill off the fracking industry, which they are quickly doing.

Posted by: nomas | Nov 27 2014 19:09 utc | 11

The elected officials are as stupid as some of the Generals here General Breedlove [General ‘Buck’ Turgidson] Following his meeting with Ukrainian leaders, US Air Force General Philip Breedlove warned about Russia’s militarization of the Crimea peninsula.
The US was “watching for indications” that Russia might move “nuclear capabilities” on Crimea, Breedlove said following meeting with Ukrainian leaders. http://www.almanar.com.lb/english/adetails.php?eid=182983&cid=18&fromval=1&frid=18&seccatid=56&s1=1 We are doomed.

Posted by: harry law | Nov 27 2014 19:53 utc | 12

I’m thinking next person to use the phrase “boots on the ground” should have their mouth washed out with soap. While we’re at, instead of “holding” someone’s “feet to the fire,” why don’t we recommend simply pulling out their fingernails?

Posted by: dmnolan | Nov 27 2014 19:58 utc | 13

On Syria: I storified a Twitter discussion between Edward Dark, a (real) opposition writer and Syrian patriot, and Kristyan Benedict, an Amnesty International functionary.
Edward takes Kristyan down for his completely unrealistic and partisan stand. Amusing.
Real Syrian Oppo Versus Amnesty International – In Which Edward Dark Puts Down AI’s Kristyan Benedict

Posted by: b | Nov 27 2014 20:02 utc | 14

re 14
Benedict is really bonkers, isn’t he? He didn’t seem to know who Edward Darke is.

Posted by: Laguerre | Nov 27 2014 21:41 utc | 15

@8: “….it could mean the end of fracking.”
Which might very well be the point of the exercise.

Posted by: Johnboy | Nov 27 2014 23:10 utc | 16

Dark wants the stronger side to win, in order to end the chaos. Benedict is correct to point out that Dark is not neutral – he has clearly chosen the devil he knows.

Posted by: starfish | Nov 28 2014 0:21 utc | 17

@10 If we are making Star Trek comparisons, the U.S. is a poorly run version of the Dominion.

Posted by: NotTimothyGeithner | Nov 28 2014 3:27 utc | 18